Economy derails efforts to solve critical challenges – Kiir
From the Covid-19 pandemic to flooding and persistent sub-national violence in some parts of South Sudan, President Salva Kiir said the government’s efforts to tackle some of the most critical challenges in the country in 2021 were derailed by economic limitations.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});“You all know that we were affected by COVID-19 pandemic, flooding in most parts of our country and the lingering economic hardship since we ended the war in 2018,” Kiir said in his New Year’s address.
The President pledged to address challenges the country has been facing in the year 2021.
“These are the challenges you rightly expected your government to address. While the financial limitation did not allow us to address these challenges to your expectation, I am assuring you that we are committed to addressing them in the coming year.”
Kiir also said the government will ensure that the Commission for Truth, Reconciliation and Healing (CTRH) is established by the end of January 2022.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});He said that the commission would help in excavating the truth of the previous war and devise means of peacebuilding, reconciliation and social stability.
Kiir noted that the difficulty imposed on citizens by floods and pandemics and the economic hardships were on top of the government plans in 2022 with promises of not returning the country to war.
The president noted that the full implementation of the revitalized peace agreement was the solution to the challenges faced by the country. He promised not to return the country to war.
“The solution to getting our country out of its current state lies in the full implementation of the revitalized peace agreement. I would like to emphasize that these obstacles require all parties to work hard on building a consensus that will pave the way for overcoming these sticking points,” the statement continued.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});He mentioned some of the achievements being ceasefire that has been holding, SSPDF, SPLA-IO and SSOA forces being in cantonment sites, responsibility-sharing chapter implementation and dispatching of Joint Defense Board team to report on Necessary Unified Forces (NUF).
He said that forces, when graduated, would be “guarantors for political stability, and socio-economic development of South Sudan for generations.”
He highlighted that the government would prioritize peace implementation, economic reforms and roads construction including Aggrey Jaden road, Juba-Mundri-Yambio-Tombura-Wau road and its branch; Mundri-Mvolo-Rumbek-Tonj-Wau-Kuajok-Gogrial-Aweil road, Yei-Bangolo-Tali via Amadi road and Juba-Kajo keji road.
Committed to peace
Kiir last week reaffirmed that he would not break his vow of not returning the country to war promising to adhere to the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});This was revealed in his speech which was delivered by the Minister for Presidential Affairs Dr Barnaba Marial Benjamin at the celebration of a century of the centenary Lui Diocese.
In his speech, Kiir called upon the citizens to shun violence and embrace peace as he highlighted aspects of the progress made in the implementation of the peace agreement and the impasse on security arrangements by the parties to the agreement.
He pledged that his intention as a leader was not to take people back to war and promised to expedite developmental projects for the benefit of the people.